Friday, 22 March 2013

Truffles for Triumphs...

Rich, dark, and wickedly delicious Chocolate Truffles are
not your everyday lunchbox filler; instead waiting patiently in the wings like the
other social butterflies of the kitchen (the canapé, the soufflé, or anything else ending in é, in case you
were wondering) for one of those occasions that calls for the special china or
the fancy napkins, rings and all. Cream, chocolate, a splash of something
alcoholic and an enormous measure of down-right scrumptiousness, these little
balls of all things bad for your waistline but glorious for your taste buds,
are quite rightly one of those decadent, and dangerously moreish treats that
are only allowed to roll out of the kitchen on special occasions. And thank
goodness for that, you hear me sigh, I would need a crane and strategically
placed hole in the roof just to get out of the house if they were on offer much
more often...

Last weekend, one of those perilous occasions where truffles
are most definitely called for, or so I like to think, arose.,, I can only
blame my boyfriend, (seemingly a more and more regular feature on this blog...starting
to suspect I’m a feeder) who is somewhat an over-achiever; one of those
annoying people that is always doing something worth celebrating, which, in my
rather food driven world, obviously means something worth cooking for. This
time round, forgetting the carrot cakes and pork pies of old, the leftover dark
chocolate in the fridge was the star of the show.

Feeling like the Hermione Granger of the kitchen (I would
say Harry, but I don’t suit glasses..) the somewhat miraculous transformation
of a matt block of dark chocolate to the thick, spectacularly shiny,
see-your-face-in-it stuff that appears when it is added to hot cream, is
nothing short of magic. And it really is as easy as Hermione makes mending
those ugly aforementioned glasses look; once you have mixed, flavoured and
tasted to your heart’s content, all that is needed is to leave the bowl to its
own devices in the fridge for a few hours before rolling into balls. Easy peasy.

But the truly great thing about truffles in my eyes, (yup, even
better than being ridiculously quick and even more stupidly yummy) is that they
are almost a complete blank canvas of chocolate; giving your imagination free
reign and letting you get totally creative. Adding a bit of this nut, or (a
lot) of that liqueur takes the mixture from a bog standard choc to a treat that
is truly your own.

As I got stuck in, it seems that I was feeling a little bit
exotic as far as flavourings go. Don’t ask me why, it certainly had nothing to
do with the weather, but drawing inspiration from my favourite, pink foil
wrapped chocolate bar, half of the glossy cream and chocolate mixture took on
the flavours of a Turkish delight. Enriched with pieces of the neon, rose
flavoured jelly, pistachio nuts and rose water, before being rolled in bright
green crushed pistachio nuts, they are not only full of Eastern Promise, but
promise to fly off the plate almost as quickly as they got there. They would
look beautiful piled on to a glass dish at Christmas time, not at all out of
place in Nigella’s winter wonderland of a kitchen. Just don’t be too fussy
about arranging in a meticulous, Ferroro Rocher style pyramid, they are
guaranteed not to last long...

The other half of the basic truffle mix was a slightly manlier
affair; speckled with crunchy salted almond praline, spiked with red chilli and
given an added kick with a glug of spiced rum. Just yummy. Both were totally
delicious, but if you don’t fancy the idea of a chocolate that will make your
lips tingle, add your favourite nuts, dried fruit, spices, orange zest; go mad,
the possibilities really are endless. Just get stuck in and get creative, these
are a treat a million times worth any of the minimal melting, stirring and
imagination required.

Ps. Listen up, this is a serious point; as I learnt after a
few hours on the train and tube with my bag of treats, truffles do not travel
well. If you want to avoid presenting your loved one with a bag of something
that looks a lot more like something you would give to your enemy, make sure
you keep these cold and un-squashed. Because they are definitely not an attractive
present when they arrive in one brown, squidgy mess. If you know what I mean...

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until very hot but not
quite boiling. When small bubbles begin to appear on the surface, add the
butter and stir until melted.

Pour this hot mixture over the broken chocolate, whisking to
combine, and allow the chocolate to melt nice and slowly.

Mix in a splash of your chosen alcohol, a pinch of salt
(really brings out the flavour of the chocolate, honest) and any flavourings
you fancy. Stir until the chocolate is melted, and the mixture is thick and
smooth.

Leave to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours- You can
make it a few days in advance if you are short of time.

About half an hour before you want to serve your truffles,
roll spoonfuls of the mixture into small balls; coat in chopped nuts, cocoa powder or desiccated
coconut and serve!